Apparently the FFA have "rescinded" Cristiano's red card from Saturday's A-League Grand Final.
What a disgrace.
It is, on one hand, easy to see why they've made such a gutless decision. Cristiano's send-off marred the A-League Grand Final of much of its potential appeal by placing 10 v 11 for close on 80 minutes. His penalty, that of disadvantaging his teammates for most of the match and subsequently losing the biggest game of the season, is plenty harsh enough. He was sent off, they lost, cruel - but fair.
Make no mistake, it wasn't referee Matthew Breeze who elbowed Rody Vargas in the head.
Anyway, the FFA have been largely forced into a gutless decision due to the most brain-numbingly stupid decision of Saturday night - that of the red card awarded to Danny Allsopp.
There is no way in a million years that the FFA could allow that travesty to stand. It was a fiction, and an affront to a player like Danny that he would headbutt an opponent. The FFA was always going to rescind this one - that's for sure.
But the problem they had is that every pundit in the country (not aligned to Melbourne Victory) has been crying foul and lambasting Breeze's decision to uphold the rules of the game. Imagine the outcry if Danny's card was rescinded and not Cristiano's. Keep in mind this is being played out in front of the backdrop of such comments as "Melbourne's Grand Final win is tainted" from Cockerill and "Cristiano's 'mythical' elbow" from Sir Laszlo Murray.
I've never heard a greater amount of bollocks from allegedly learned commentators in my entire life.
What about the fact that Melbourne Victory won the game with all they had at their disposal?
Seriously, those people complaining that the game was ruined as a spectacle should blame Cristiano, not Breeze.
Oh, and don't get me started on the vitriol headed Kevin Muscat's way. Apparently this is all Kev's fault, as apparently Mr Breeze had his hand on the yellow card before Muscat "forced" him to consult with his linesman. Are you kidding me? a) Muscat is the captain of Melbourne Victory and has every right to question the referee's call and b) as if Breeze wasn't going to consult his linesman anyway.
This one from the Adelaide United coach: “Certainly Muscat's manipulated the officials because I've seen the photo of him gesticulating to Matthew Breeze that he's used the elbow, with his elbow at 90 degrees, and that certainly wasn't the case so it's a bit disappointing,” Vidmar said.
What?? What wasn't the case? That Cristiano had his elbow at 90 degrees? Well what was it then? 75 degrees? FFS, Muscat's now copping it because he doesn't have a compass and a protractor on the field with him?
All the decision of the FFA in rescinding Cristiano's red card has done has been to give credence to such claims and to the whinging and bleating of jealous Sydney media types.
3 comments:
Nice one Bazza. You're not wrong about the pundits queueing to apologise for Adelaide's defeat.
I have to agree also. The issue about the elbow is really strange. I've seen the replay a number of times and the defining reason I believe it was a foul worth of a send off was the way he jumped into Vargas and eventually tries to head the ball now to his right. His elbow is raised at approximately 85.6 degrees and is attempting to reposition Vargas' ear to someplace closer to the pitch. That said, if it wasn't for the blood, I'd say he would have got a Yellow. But that's not victory, Muscat, Breaze or the Linesman’s fault. It is Cristiano's. Also, like it or not, reputation does count and Cristiano has form.
What the FFA hasn't done is cited those involved with the charade surrounding Danny. In a move perhaps not planned but certainly thought up on the spot and acted out to a B grade horror film standard, Adelaide tried (successfully) to trick the officials into thinking something Heinous as occurred. Is this not simulation? Eugenes over reaction deserved a card and Cornflake deserves a retrospective RED CARD for Simulation.
ZOMG!
I agree with a Smiley rant.
;)
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